www.arcticseafood.sg STOP CHEAP SHRIMP Executive Summary Cheap and unsustainable shrimp imports to Canada are dangerous for humans and environment. Antibiotic-resistant shrimp make their way here and pose the risk of causing fatal infections1,2. Other artifacts of cheap shrimp are slavery, habitat loss, and destruction of coastal cities. Canada must stand against unsustainable shrimp imports. Why Shrimp Health & Nutrition Only 5% of our food imports are inspected at the border, leaving 95% of imports to enter Canada uninspected3. Unsustainable imported shrimp from countries like Thailand and India were recently sent back for containing Nitrofurans, a carcinogen antibiotic2. But antibiotic- resistant bacteria are making their way to Canada despite 5% being inspected. These bacteria can harbour disease and cause fatal infections2. We don’t need to consume shrimp to ensure a healthy lifestyle. Canada’s 2019 food www.cbc.ca/news guide recommends “choosing protein foods that come from plants”4. Antibiotic use on domestic shrimp is banned Arvin Bahrabadi by CFIA, yet imported shrimp are not held to the same standard2. Antibiotic resistance is one of the biggest @ArvinBahrabadi threats to global health5. Once these organisms are here, (Twitter) there is no good way of stopping them from spreading. [email protected] Destructive effect of shrimp farming on mangrove coasts https://www.goodplanet.info Why Shrimp Environmental Destruction Mangroves are natural barriers to natural disasters, saving lives during tsunamis and storms6. But mangroves forests are destroyed to increase production and keep up with western world’s appetite for shrimp7, 1. Our culinary pleasures and Recommendations greed are causing people their lives. Slavery 1. Increase Education Undocumented migrant workers are Educate consumers/industry/regulators tortured, beaten, forced into slavery and on the dangers of unsustainable shrimp. indentured labour to boost production of 2. Support Testing cheap shrimp for export to the west8, 1. Support the development of reliable test kits for end users. Unsustainable 3. Tariff Unsustainable Imports Tax countries importing unsustainable Shrimp is … and unethical shrimp to Canada. 4. Local Support • Unhealthy Increase support for organizations like • Unethical Ocean Wise and Marine Stewardship • Destructive to nature Council to monitor and recognize • Costs human lives sustainable shrimp. • Not welcome in Canada Overview The devastation of coastal mangroves that could have lessened the death tolls of tsunamis, the slave migrants of Thailand that are trapped in the shrimp industry, and the carcinogenic and antibiotic-resistant shrimp that make it to Canada, are all connected. Our raging appetite for shrimp has done serious harm on a global scale. The hidden cost of ordering a cheap shrimp platter in Canada means someone else is paying a stiff price elsewhere. Canada must stop its consumption of cheap and unsustainable shrimp. References 1. University of British Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. (2010). Cheap Shrimp - Hidden Costs. Retrieved April 12, 2019, from http://www.internationalreporting.org/shrimp/ 2. Grundig, T. (2019, March 15). How imported shrimp is bringing superbugs to Canada's shores | CBC News. Retrieved April 12, 2019, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/shrimp-antibiotics-resistance-amr-marketplace-1.5055101 3. Government of Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, & Public Affairs. (2014, September 29). The Regulation of Imported Fish and Seafood Products in Canada. Retrieved April 12, 2019, from http://www.inspection.gc.ca/food/ information-for-consumers/fact-sheets-and-infographics/products-and-risks/fish-and-seafood/imported-fish-and-seafood/eng/1412026401692/1412026402692 4. Government of Canada, & Health Canada. (2019, March 12). Canada's Food Guide. Retrieved April 13, 2019, from https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/ 5. WHO. (2018). Antibiotic resistance. Retrieved April 12, 2019, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance 6. United Nations, & OFFICE FOR THE COORDINATION OF HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS. (2005). INDIAN OCEAN EARTHQUAKE – TSUNAMI 2005 (Rep.). Retrieved April 12, 2019, from United Nations website: https://www.un.org/News/dh/infocus/ Tsunami/tsunamiflashappeal.pdf 7. Brander, L. M., Wagtendonk, A. J., Hussain, S. S., Mcvittie, A., Verburg, P. H., Groot, R. S., & Ploeg, S. V. (2012). Ecosystem service values for mangroves in Southeast Asia: A meta-analysis and value transfer application. Ecosystem Services, 1(1), 62-69. doi:10.1016/j.ecoser.2012.06.003 8. Yang, Ethan, "Human Trafficking in South East Asia and Economic Empowerment". The First-Year Papers (2010 - present) (2016). Trinity College Digital Repository, Hartford, CT. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/fypapers/69 List of potential contacts for reviewing this policy brief: • Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland • House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 • Tel: 613-992-5234 • Fax: 613-996-0607 • Email: [email protected] • Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau • 1341 Baseline Road, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C5 • Telephone: 613-995-2024 • Fax: 613-995-2754 • Email: [email protected] • Minister of International Trade Diversification • James Gordon Carr • House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 • Tel: 613-992-9475 • Fax: 613-996-9586 • Email: [email protected] • Minister of Health Ginette Petitpas Taylor • Email: [email protected] List of potential contacts for reviewing this policy brief: • Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ian Shugart • Deputy Minister of Health Simon Kennedy • Deputy Minister's Office, Health Canada • Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney's Pasture Postal Locator: 0906C Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 • Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Chris Forbes • 1341 Baseline Road Tower 7, NHCAP, Floor 9, Room 349, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C5 • Tel: 613-773-1011 • Fax: 613-773-1040 • Email: [email protected] • Deputy Minister of International Trade Diversification John F.G. Hannaford .